The URBZ: Sims in the City

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Electronic Arts, Maxis, and Griptonite expand on Bustin' Out for the next Sims GBA game.

By Craig Harris

Last year's The Sims Bustin' Out was only the beginning of the series on the Game Boy Advance. Maxis and Electronic Arts have been hard at work on a new edition of the life simulation for the handheld, and the sequel, The URBZ: Sims in the City takes a drastic turn from the style already established in past games in the series. The GBA version of the game, which will also be released on the Xbox, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 systems, was completely playable at Electronic Arts' press day today, which gives us a good idea of the direction the game's taking for its November release.

Griptonite Games, the development team behind several other Electronic Arts GBA titles (including the portable The Sims Bustin' Out is taking a second shot at the series on the Nintendo handheld in The URBZ. At its core, this sequel is very similar in design and structure as the previous game in the series, but the team has put forth a lot of effort to give The URBZ its own look and feel, as well as offer way more things to do and experience in this virtual life.

First of all, the game's artstyle is completely different. Last year's Bustin' Out graphic engine is definitely driving The URBZ's gameplay, but all the art, from background and locations to the actual boy and girl characters that players control, have been given a whole new look. Players build their persona in the create-a-sim mode, giving them a unique style of hair, clothes, and skin color, and in The URBZ there are far more options and possibilities in creating a unique character to call your own. Once the character's created, players answer a series of personality questions that will determine which Xizzles he or she will get in the game. Xizzles, a new element in this sequel, are essentially abilities that will come in handy during the game.

Once in the game, players will jump into the life of that character and perform tasks and duties that will extend within the more than two dozen areas in the urban world. Chatting up with cityfolk will open up new tasks or solve old ones, so it's important to possess the social skills necessary to keep the adventure going. Going deeper in the life will reward players with vehicles that aren't just fun to drive around on, they'll make the game move faster -- the areas in The URBZ are far bigger than in Bustin' Out, so every little bit helps.

Of course, all of the elements that make The Sims its own game are here in The URBZ. Players will have to keep track of several aspects of the character's well-being, from hunger to fatigue to a raging bladder. If he or she is hungry, find something to eat. Tired? Take a nap. And for pete's sake, find a toilet if the character starts crying in agony...wetting yourself isn't exactly a "cool" thing to do. Players will also have many opportunities for personal expression by furnishing a penthouse will all sorts of goodies. There are hundreds of items in the game to collect and place in the character's habitat. These items can be traded between players through the use of the link cable.

Last year's game featured several mini-games that enabled players to earn Simoleans, and it's the case in The URBZ. There are as many as eight different single and multiplayer challenges, from a window-washing design to a direct clone of Excitebike. These games aren't just fun, they're detrimental in earning enough cash to work through the game's adventure. Of course, the further the player is in the game, the more difficult and challenging these mini-games become. Unfortunately, connectivity between the GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions have been left out for this second go-round on the Game Boy Advance.

The version at the show was nearing completion, as Electronic Arts expects to have The URBZ ready to go this November. Just a handful of programming tweaks and the Game Boy Advance version will be ready for prime time. Make sure you add the game to your wishlist to be updated on the game's progress.